Inevitable
by zoomie109
Summary: Kate's in high school when her parents are in an accident and end up in a coma. With no other family she is left alone, until Shannon Gibbs offers to take her home.
1. Chapter 1

**I sadly do not own NCIS... :'( This is a revised version of chapter one, but I have just changed a few things, so enjoy!**

Kate hurried into her English class, just as the bell rang. She smiled at Abby, Tony, and Tim and slid into her seat, trying not to be noticed by the teacher. Mrs. Gibbs turned around and scanned the class. She knew that Kate had come in late, but didn't bother marking it.

"Ok class, today we are going to present our speeches to the class."

A general groan passed over the class, something that she had been expecting.

"Are there any volunteers?" She asked. The class was glancing at one another, trying to figure out who would go, so that they wouldn't be doomed to. Tony snorted from the back of the room and Mrs. Gibbs was tempted to make him go first.

Kate reluctantly opened her mouth, "I will."

You could almost hear the sigh of reliefs go across the room.

"Thank you Kate." Mrs. Gibbs told her, "You can start whenever you want."

She walked to the front of the room and raised her eyebrows at Abby with a grimace. That was a sign that despite her volunteering, she was just as nervous as the rest of them.

She took in a deep breath and started, "The history of the FBI started in…"

The speech went on without a hitch, and at the end the class clapped, but still hoping they wouldn't be next. When she sat down Abby gave her thumbs up, the sign of a job well done. The reluctant volunteer number two went up and did their speech. During the middle the class phone rang, but no one made any attempt to go get it. The speech ended and almost immediately the phone rang again.

"I'm sorry the phone interrupted you." Mrs. Gibbs said to the speaker as she walked over to go pick it up, "Mrs. Gibbs," She answered.

"Please send Kate Todd to the counselor's office."

She could hear the graveness in the voice on the other end.

"Okay." She answered and hung up the phone.

She walked over to Kate's desk and quietly told her she was wanted in the counselor's office. Being a teacher for a few years she knew this was not something a student wants broadcasted in front of the whole class. A confused look crossed Kate's face. Why do they want me down there, she thought. She got up from her seat and headed down to the office.

On the walk she tried to envision why in the world she would be getting called down. She couldn't recall doing anything wrong. I mean if Tony was getting called down, that would be totally understandable, but her? But all too soon she arrived at the office. One of the counselors's met her at the door and walked her into his office.

"Hello Kate. I'm Mr. Jared your counselor, if you don't remember."

"Okay…?"

"I have something to tell you." Kate could tell from his voice that something was wrong.

"What?" She asked hesitantly.

"We got a call today…"

Crap, this can't be good, she thought.

"There was a car accident."

Oh no.

"Who?" Kate practically demanded.

"Your mother and your father."

"Oh God." She breathed out, barely audible, "Are they ok?"

"Well the doctors aren't sure yet, but as of now they are both in comas."

Comas… Kate's mind went blank.

"Do you have any family you could stay with?" he asked.

"Family...? No." She shook her head.

"Grandparents? Aunts or uncles?"

"Dead, mom was an only child; dad's are missionaries and live in like Africa."

Mr. Jared nodded his head, but inside was trying to think about where she would go. Where would a 9th grader go while both of her parents are in comas and she has no other family?

"Can I see them?" She asked hesitantly her eyes starting to tear up.

"Of course, I'm going to call the social worker first."

Social worker means foster home… Kate started to worry, "Can I have a few minutes alone please?" She asked.

"Of course," Mr. Jared answered calmly, "You can use my office, I'll be right outside." He stepped out of the room leaving Kate alone with her feelings. She could feel tears overriding her eyes. She couldn't stand being stuck in this tiny room with a social worker on the way. She got up and quietly opened the door from the office. She saw Mr. Jared facing the other way, and she quickly left the office closing the door silently behind her. Now what, she thought. She had to get somewhere, to think… and well she didn't want to be crying in the middle of a hallway. She immediately thought to a little nook in the back of the school.

She got there a few minutes later and sat down. No one came back here so she would be safe. Her parents are both in comas. The information seemed to not hit her until now. Her parents were not awake, they were injured, and they could die! Now that she was alone she let the tears escape. She rocked back and forth with her knees pulled up to her chest, trying her best to be quiet. Where am I going to live, she thought. She continued to cry when she heard the bell ring. Then she realized she left her backpack in English. I'll get it in a few minutes when they are all at lunch, she told herself. A few minutes later she took a deep breath and walked into the bathroom. She looked in the mirror and saw her eyes were red and puffy and she had tear streaks going down her cheeks. She wiped off her face and did her best to cover it with her bangs. She left the bathroom and went quickly to her English room to grab her bag.

The social worker, a plump round woman, with too much jewelry and clothes a few decades old walked into the office and went up to Mr. Jared, "Hello I'm Martha the social worker."

"Yes, as you know I'm Mr. Jared, Kate's counselor."

"Have you told her the news yet?"

"Yes. And she has informed me she doesn't have any family to stay with."

"Oh dear." Martha responded.

"Well, she is in here." Mr. Jared pointed to his door.

Martha opened the door and looked in, "Well apparently not," She told him matter of factly.

"But she was just here!" He protested.

"Oh don't worry I see this all the time. She is most likely close by in the school."

Mr. Jared nodded unsure.

"We shall just go look for her." Martha responded logically.

Kate put her bag over her shoulder and headed out of the room, despite all of her fight she had tears streaming down her face. Her head was down and she looked at her feet as she walked.

"Kate?" A voice interrupted her silent mourning.

She froze and slowly shifted her head up, trying to keep her bangs in front of her face.

"Mrs. Gibbs." Kate muttered.

Mrs. Gibbs tried to see her face and could tell by how she was acting now and the phone call from earlier that something very terrible was wrong.

"Kate," She said resting her arm on her shoulder, "will you come to my desk?"

Kate didn't respond, but followed her guiding arm. Mrs. Gibbs sat her down next to her and Kate lifted her head finally. Her eyes were red and puffy and tears were streaming down her face. In all of her years of teaching she had never seen this before, "Kate, what's happened?"

Kate took a few hyperventilated breaths before she responded, "It's… It's my parents…"

"What's the matter?" Mrs. Gibbs asked trying to mask her worry.

"They were in a car accident…" She started crying again and Mrs. Gibbs put her arm around her shoulder again and just waited. The only sound in the hall was Kate's sniffling and crying. She eventually was able to stop long enough to finish telling Mrs. Gibbs what had happened, "They… they're both in comas!"

Oh dear God, Mrs. Gibbs thought to herself. She brought Kate into a hug and held her as she continued to cry.

Suddenly to forms came down the hallway and approached them. It was Mr. Jared and Martha. Mrs. Gibbs looked up and realized they were here for Kate.

"Kate," Mrs. Gibbs said softly, "I'll be right back."

She walked over to the two people, "Is she going to live with family until they are better?"

"She doesn't have any family to live with." Mr. Jared responded.

"Then what?" Mrs. Gibbs questioned.

"Well she is going to stay in the foster home."Martha answered.

Mrs. Gibbs thought back to all the things she had heard about foster homes. "No, she is not."

"What?" Mr. Jared looked confused.

"She is not going to a foster home."

"There is nowhere else for her to go." Martha added.

"Then she is staying with me until her parents get better." Mrs. Gibbs said with a soft conviction.

"You know they might not ever get better." Mr. Jared responded.

"She is going to stay with me, and that is final."

**Thanks all for reading! Be sure to review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Once again I do not own NCIS... :(**

Kate glanced up to see Mrs. Gibbs was talking to Mr. Jared and some random lady who she presumed was the social worker. She tried to hear what they were saying, but was unsuccessful. A few minutes later Mrs. Gibbs walked back, "Kate, how are you doing?"

"Where am I going?" She asked back totally ignoring the question.

"Well that's the thing; they want to put you in a foster home."

"No," Kate's heart dropped.

"So would you like to stay with me until your parents are better?"

"What?" Kate asked astonished.

"Would you like to stay with me, my husband, and my daughter Kelly?"

Kate could barely comprehend what Mrs. Gibbs was asking her.

"I mean I would… but… wouldn't I be a bother…" She whispered looking down. She didn't want to intrude into someone else's life.

"Well then it's settled, you will be staying with me and my family. Do you want to stay here while I grab my work, and then we can go to your house and get some things?"

"Um, sure…" Kate said still in shock.

Mrs. Gibbs got up from the chair and went into her classroom and closed the door behind her. She picked up her phone and started dialing, "Jethro," She said when he answered the phone.

"Shannon how was work?" he asked her.

"One of the students from my class is going to be staying with us." She informed him.

"What?" he asked confused.

"Both of her parents were in an accident and are now in comas."

"Doesn't she have any family?" He asked.

"No. Jethro we have to do this." She said looking out the window at the girl sitting at her desk.

"Shannon, I don't know how it will work, but I mean if that's what you want…"

"We will be home in about an hour."

Jethro couldn't say no, not to his wife so he answered, "Ok, I love you."

"I love you too," Shannon said hanging up the phone. She then grabbed her bag full of papers and left her room to join Kate again.

"Kate," She remained using a soft voice, "Are you ready to go to your house?"

"Could we a… go to the hospital first?" She asked uncertainly.

"Of course," Mrs. Gibbs answered, but inside she was worried about how seeing her parents like this would impact Kate.

They walked to Mrs. Gibbs's car and drove the route to the hospital in silence. When they arrived Kate tensed up and slowly got out of the car. She wasn't sure if she could do this. But she had to. She walked unsteadily through the parking lot, but Mrs. Gibbs put her arm around her back. They entered the hospital and Mrs. Gibbs went to go talk to the nurse on duty. Kate stayed a few feet back. Her phone buzzed and she looked at it seeing she got a text from Abby.

_Where did you go after English?_

Kate didn't know how to answer so she just closed her phone and put it back in her pocket. Mrs. Gibbs came over and together they walked into the room the nurse directed them to. Inside were both of Kate's parents connected to multiple machines. Kate's eyes widened and she gasped. Her knees slowly started to give out and Mrs. Gibbs led her to a chair.

"No, no, no, no, noooooo…" She groaned to herself. This can't be happening! She thought. Her chest started to tighten and she was starting to cry.

"Can I be alone?" She managed to spit out.

Mrs. Gibbs uncertainly opened the door, "I'm right outside if you need me." She walked out and the door, but stayed at the window. She didn't want to invade Kate's privacy, but she needed to make sure that she was ok.

Kate started sobbing instantaneously. How could you do this! She thought to no one in particular. She rocked herself back and forth. She walked up to her mom, with her whole body shaking and held her hand. "I love you mom." She said quietly with her tears dripping onto her moms arm. "Please, please get better! I need you!"

She then moved up to her dad and did the same thing. Her vision was blurred from her tears and she was having difficulty breathing. She walked over to the wall and leaned against it tipping her head back, she slid down so she was now sitting, "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS!" This time it came out as a scream instead of a thought.

Mrs. Gibbs heard from outside of the room and rushed in. Kate was being hysteric. She sat down on the floor next to her and pulled her into a tight hug, "It's going to be ok." She whispered. Trying to tell herself that was not a lie.

Kate remained silent after her outburst. She suddenly stood up, "I want to leave." She said, immediately rushing out of the door and running down the hallway. Mrs. Gibbs ran after her and met her panting outside of the car. "Let's go." Mrs. Gibbs said unlocking the car, not mentioning any of the outbursts. When they started driving Kate dully gave Mrs. Gibbs the directions to her house. When they pulled into her driveway, but Kate didn't get out. Mrs. Gibbs got out walked over to the side of the car Kate was on and helped her out. Together they walked into the house and Kate went to her bedroom to pack a bag. She walked to her dresser and stuffed some clothes into a bag, not even worrying that they would wrinkle. She then scanned over all of her stuff. She didn't want to leave it behind. She wanted to stay here, with her parents. She just wanted everything to be okay. She set some books, money and a few other things she thought she might need into the bag with her clothes.

After she had done that she walked down the hallway and slowed as she neared her parent's bedroom. She walked in and froze on her first step. She didn't want to be in here. She didn't want to remember that her parents were lying in a hospital. But she knew she couldn't leave for who knows how long without being able to see them so she looked around. She grabbed the picture of the three of them on a camping trip off her dad's nightstand. They were always doing stuff as a family, they really believed in family value. She sniffled when she caught eye of one of her mom's necklaces. She picked it up gently and put it in her pocket. Now that she had something to keep with her she walked around the room again, and then walked down stairs.

"Do you have everything?" Mrs. Gibbs asked.

Kate nodded not trusting her voice. They got back into the car and drove in silence once again. They pulled into Mrs. Gibbs's house and Kate immediately got nervous. She was not one for worrying too much, but what if Mr. Gibbs didn't want her to be there? What if they got sick of her? She pushed her uneasiness down and got out of the car. She grabbed her bag and followed Mrs. Gibbs inside the house. They walked inside the house and a little girl came running over, "Hi mommy!" She shouted hugging her mom's waist.

"Hi baby!" She responded, "Kelly, this is Kate." She pointed to Kate.

Kate tried to smile, and Kelly waved at her. They walked out of the entrance and into the kitchen where a tall man with grey hair was standing.

"Hi Shannon," He said kissing her forehead. "And you must be, Kate?" He asked looking at her.

Kate nodded again.

"I'm going to go show her to the guest room." Mrs. Gibbs said. Kate followed her upstairs to a room at the end of the hallway. "Here you go."

Kate looked in. It was painted a light blue with two twin beds in it. There was a night stand in between them, with a lamp on top.

"I'm sorry it's not that fancy we don't get guests very often," Mrs. Gibbs apologized.

"No, it's great Mrs. Gibbs. I just wanted to thank you so much." Kate said with obvious gratitude.

"Of course dear and please while you are staying here call me Shannon."

"Okay." Kate answered dutifully.

"I'm going to let you unpack your stuff, come out as soon as you are ready," Shannon said in her motherly tone.

When Shannon left Kate sat on the edge of the bed farthest from the door when her phone buzzed, it was Abby again,

_Kate I just went to your house and no one was home? Where are you? _

Kate still didn't have any response for her. She barely knew herself what was going on. She set her phone on the nightstand and curled up into a ball on the bed, and to her relief went into a dreamless daze.

**Authors Note: Thanks for the reviews! Please continue reading and reviewing :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Note: Sorry this one took longer to write, I've been pretty busy recently.**

**I am also sad to inform all that I do not own NCIS or any of the characters**

Kate woke up to Brain Matter filling the room. I must have dozed off she thought covering her ears. She groggily picked up her phone knowing it was Abby because of the ring tone. She couldn't keep avoiding her. Knowing her, she would just keep calling. Kate answered the phone and Abby's voice filled the other end, "Where are you! You just left during English and you're not at home!"

"Abs, slow down." Kate interrupted.

"So where are you?"

"Okay," Kate thought of how she could explain this easily, "I'm at Mrs. Gibbs's."

"You mean our English teacher?" She asked confused.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"When I got called down to the counselors office they told me my parents had been in an accident," Kate could hear Abby gasp on the other end, "They are now… both in… comas. And they were going to put me in a foster home until they got better, but Mrs. Gibbs offered to let me stay over here, so here I am."

"Oh Kate!" Abby cried, "I'm so sorry! Are you ok? Can I come over?"

"I don't know, maybe another time, I just got here and I don't know if it's okay with them."

"Fine." Abby huffed.

A knock came on the door interrupting the phone conversation. "Just a second Abs," Kate said resting the phone next to her on the bed.

"Come in." She called.

Mrs. Gibbs… Shannon poked her head in, "We're having dinner now, and would you like to join us?"

Kate didn't realize just how hungry she was until dinner was mentioned, "Yes, thanks you. I will be down in a second."

Shannon left and Kate picked the phone up again.

She slowly walked down the stairs after she said bye to Abby and pinky promised her with no crosses counting to call her or text her soon. Kate was hesitant about joining them with dinner. Wasn't that family time? As she walked down the stairs she heard the conversation coming from the dining room. Mr. Gibbs was talking to Kelly about her day. Kate reached the bottom of the stairs and stood in the doorway of the dining room. The family glanced up at her, and Shannon pulled out the seat next to her for her. Kate took that as an invitation and sat down.

"Hi Kate!" Kelly said in an excited high little girl voice.

"Hello Kelly," Kate returned the greeting.

The little girls face shone when Kate answered her.

"I like you Kate." Kelly said, and Kate smiled.

"I like you too Kelly," Kate really meant this.

While they were eating dinner Shannon said to Kate, "I'm really sorry, I have to go to work tomorrow, we have a really important meeting during lunch, but I think it would be best maybe for you to stay here, Jethro should be home most of the day. How does that sound?"

"That sounds good." Kate nodded.

When dinner ended Kate offered to do the dishes, but Shannon said she didn't need to, so Kate went up to the room. She laid down on her bed, and even though it was not that late it was almost impossible for her to keep her eyes open. All of the crying caused her eyes to sting, so she just closed them and let herself drift into a peaceful sleep.

Abby woke up with a jump the next morning. She looked at her phone and she didn't have any texts from Kate! I'm going to have to talk to her about this, she thought scolding. Abby took time to get dressed and apply her makeup before walking to school. She had decided to talk to Mrs. Gibbs and go over to see Kate tonight. Abby was not going to take no for an answer. She met Tim on the corner and they walked together the rest of the way to school together. They met Tony at their lockers and Abby dragged them with her to Mrs. Gibbs's room.

"Hello Mrs. Gibbs!" Abby said being her usual happy self.

"Why hello Abby," Mrs. Gibbs replied, and then looking at the group around her added, "And Tim and Tony."

"So I talked to Kate last night, and she told me what was going on." Abby stated.

"Oh," Mrs. Gibbs realized where this was going.

"We want to come over. Kate needs us right now."

Mrs. Gibbs smiled; she was used to Abby's abrupt self.

"That sounds fantastic. Why don't you come over say around 4? I should be home by then. Here is my address," She wrote it down on a piece of paper and handed in to Abby.

"Is she ok? I mean, how is she doing?" Tony asked seriously.

"Well to be honest I'm not sure. I think it will be good for her to be around her friends."

The minute bell rang interrupting their conversation, and signaling it was almost time for class to start.

"Well, you guys better get to class." Mrs. Gibbs said.

The kids all nodded in agreement and headed out.

Abby could barely concentrate on her class trying to plan out what they would do tonight.

Kate sat up and stared at her clock, it read 9:30. It had been a very long time since she had gotten up this late. She sat in bed contemplating what to do. She eventually got up and got dresses. She was hungry so she decided to go downstairs. She wasn't sure if she should just get herself food or not. She walked slowly down the stairs, to see Mr. Gibbs sitting at the dining room table?

"Breakfast?" He asked holding up a bowl.

Kate nodded and went over to sit down. They ate their breakfast in silence, though it was a comfortable silence, no pressure to talk, just the comfort of having another person there. After they finished, they rinsed their bowls out in the sink. Mr. Gibbs went down to the basement and Kate went back upstairs. When she arrived in the room her phone buzzed, but this time it was Tony,

_Hey Kate, how ya doing?_

Kate couldn't help but respond,

_Are you texting in class? Ooooh I'm going to tell Mrs. Gibbs _

Tony smiled when he got the text back and responded,

_You always were a tattle tale Kate _

**Authors Note (again): I can't believe I forgot to add this to my first two chapters, but would like to thank Smileysox303 for helping me edit!**

**Also, thanks everyone for reading and the reviews, keep them coming!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own NCIS**

Abby stood outside the locker room tapping her foot, and staring at her skull watch. Tony is late! She thought. She couldn't help but worry about Kate. Suddenly a figure came running towards her interrupting her thought, "I'm sorry Abby! Coach wouldn't let me out!" Tony huffed, dirty from football practice.

"Come on!" She urged, "We have to go get Tim."

"Ha! I almost forgot about that little dork." Tony laughed. Abby proceeded to elbow him in the ribs. "Ow!" He cried.

"Be nice," She commanded. Then she looked at her watch again, "It's already 3:30!" Abby cried.

Abby had to half drag Tony down the hallways of the school to find Tim. They finally found him sitting across from another student in an intense game of chess. Tim saw them through the window and Abby was jumping up and down, her pigtails flying everywhere. He looked away from them, and placed his next piece; he then looked back at the window and couldn't stop looking at Abby when he heard his opponent say, "Check mate!"

Tim frowned and examined the board seeing that his opponent was right. He grumbled, but got out of his seat and headed towards his friends.

"Look who lost!" He was greeted by Tony laughing at his failure.

"You distracted me!" Tim accused back.

"I don't think it was me that distracted you…" Tony smiled while obviously looking at Abby.

"Tony!" McGee yelled.

"Calm down McChess-Nut."

"Come on you guys! We have to go!" Abby said, ignoring the last few sentences.

Tony and Tim agreed and they headed down the hallway and out of the school. Abby was skipping at least ten feet in front of them. She then stopped to wait for them to catch up and took out the slip of paper with Mrs. Gibbs's address. She looked at it, and when Tim and Tony finally caught up she asked, "Does anyone know where this address is?" She showed them the paper.

Tony immediately shook his head no, but Tim took another look.

"I think…" He said still thinking, "Isn't this by Blue Tree Park? Remember where we used to go when we were younger?"

"Oh yeah!" Tony shouted, remembering, "That's where you threw up on the tire swing!"

Tim ignored him and said, "Yeah, I know how to get there, it's just a few streets over from your house, Abby!"

"Let's go!" Abby exclaimed.

The three of them continued down the street, and a couple minutes later they arrived in front of a modest light blue house.

"Isn't it kind of weird that we are going to Mrs. Gibbs's house?" Tim asked.

"We are going for Kate," Abby reminded them.

Together they walked up to the door, and Abby rang the doorbell. A few moments later Mrs. Gibbs came to the door and let them in, she had been expecting them.

"Hello Abby, Tony, and Tim," She greeted.

"Thank you for letting us come over," Abby said dutifully, then getting to what she really wanted to ask, "Where is Kate?"

"She is upstairs," Mrs. Gibbs pointed to the staircase, "And in the room at the end of the hallway."

The second Mrs. Gibbs finished talking Abby was flying up the stairs, and Tony and Tim were close behind her. Mrs. Gibbs smiled; this was the Abby she knew.

Abby burst into the room and saw Kate sitting on the bed. "Kate!" She yelled and engulfed her in a gigantic hug.

"Abby!" Kate responded.

Abby finally let go of Kate and they both sat down on the bed.

"I'm so sorry Kate! Are you ok? How are your parents doing?" Abby asked all at once.

"The doctors don't know," Kate's voice trembled as she answered taking the easy question.

"Oh Kate!" Abby hugged her again.

Just then Tony and Tim walked into the room. Tony sat on the bed across from Kate and Abby, and Tim sat on the floor.

"Hey guys." Kate greeted them as Abby ended the hug.

"Hey Kate," Tony said, "How are you doing?"

"Not very good." Kate answered honestly.

"Is there anything we can do?" Tim asked tentatively.

"Just, thanks for being here." Kate answered.

"Of course!" Abby answered, "We are always here for you Kate, always!"

"I know." Kate responded, "You guys are really great friends."

A few minutes of silence passed. Finally Kate broke it, "Okay I have had enough of us all just sitting here! How was school you guys?"

"Tim lost his chess match!" Tony said excited.

"Tony, you don't have to keep bringing that up!" Tim angrily answered.

"It's because he was staring at Abby," Tony whispered loudly to Kate.

Tim glared at Tony, but Kate and Abby just laughed.

"Boys," Abby rolled her eyes smiling.

Kate laughed, but there wasn't much heart in it.

"Kate, come one," Abby said, "you know you can talk to us!"

"I know… It's just… it's really stupid." Kate answered.

"It's okay," Abby put her arm around her shoulder.

"Well, I know it's not their fault, but I can't help but be mad at my parents for leaving me." Kate admitted guiltily.

"I feel the same way about my parents…" Tony agreed.

"What?" They all looked at him.

"Umm… nothing." He said after realizing he had said that out loud. "So, what's Mr. Gibbs like?" Tony asked trying to change the subject.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Mr. Gibbs said from the door way. "It's time for dinner, and you all are welcome to stay." He immediately left the room after inviting them. He had been standing outside of the door and had heard what Tony said about his parents.

Tony looked wide eyed at the rest of them and they all laughed, forgetting what he had said earlier.

"Let's go, I'm starving." Abby said, and they all walked down stairs to the dining room.

All four of them went down the stairs, barely fitting. They walked into the dining room where Mrs. Gibbs had made what seemed to be a feast. The Gibbs's were already sitting down, so the rest of them took their seats. Abby sat next to Kate, and Tony sat next to Abby. Tim huffed as he saw were Tony sat down, wishing he could sit next to Abby. Tony noticed this and said, "Hey, McGreedy, you can't have Abby all to yourself!"

Tim's cheeks blushed a deep red color. "What are you talking about?" He immediately answered.

"You know Tim," Tony whispered winking, "If you sit across from her you get a better view."

Tony looked up and saw that Mr. Gibbs had heard everything he had just said, but Mr. Gibbs just smiled at him.

**Authors Note: Thanks for all the reviews, please continue to write them and read! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Sorry this one is a little shorter than the others, but I hope you enjoy!**

**I do not own NCIS**

Kate rolled over in her sleep, her eyes fluttering, as she was dragged into a terrible nightmare.

_Kate saw her parents in their hospital beds, covered with beeping machines. Her throat tightened and her stomach knotted as she saw a nurse approach her and tell her, "They are gone."_

_No they're not! Kate thought. She could see them breathing. They were right there in front of her!_

_Suddenly Shannon and Mr. Gibbs arrived into the room and approached her parents. _

_What are you doing? She tried to yell, but made no sound._

_Shannon and Mr. Gibbs both deliberately pulled the plugs out of the machines that were keeping her parents alive. Kate could only watch as she watched her parents' faces paled. _

_No! Kate once again tried to make a sound._

_They both smiled as the life was slowly draining from Mr. and Mrs. Todd. She knew she would never see them move again. Shannon and Mr. Gibbs then turned to Kate, their faces distorted, and told her, "Now that your parents are dead, we don't want you. We never wanted you." They laughed, and it turned into cackling._

"_No!" Kate screamed._

"No! No! No!" Kate tossed and turned in a cold sweat.

Shannon awoke to a scream and her first thought was Kelly. But then she realized that it wasn't Kelly's voice. The scream came again and she jumped out of her bed and ran into Kate's room, with Jethro on her heels. She saw Kate thrashing in her bed, and she screamed again. Shannon rushed to her bedside and tried to wake her up. Jethro stood in the doorway, watching his wife. He was uncertain of what to do.

"Kate, wake up! It was just a dream it's okay." She grabbed Kate's shoulder to try to wake her. Shannon continued with her comforting words until Kate was jerked out of her dream and looked up at Shannon.

"It's okay Kate," Shannon soothed.

Kate remembered her pulling the plug and saying she didn't want her, "Get away from me!" Kate shouted, pulling away from her touch.

"Kate it's me, it's Shannon." She moved closer to comfort her.

"I said get away from me!" Kate cried, huddling in the corner of her bed.

Shannon was confused; she didn't understand why Kate was acting like this.

"Kate what's the matter?" Shannon asked concerned. She looked up at Jethro helpless, and he himself shrugged, not knowing what to do.

"Nothing." Kate whimpered. She didn't want Shannon to know about the dream she had had.

"You can tell me," Shannon gently put her hand on Kate's shoulder.

Kate was tempted, but knew she couldn't. She tried to convince herself that her parents were going to be all right and that the Gibbs' wanted her, but she wasn't sure.

Kate bit her lip and shook her head. She then closed her eyes and just tried to forget. Shannon sighed, and sat down on the edge of Kate's bed. She didn't know what to say to her, she eventually pulled Kate into her arms and just rocked her. Kate was trying her hardest not to cry. They sat in silence until Shannon tried asking again, "Kate, what's wrong?"

"I- I just had a bad dream." She stuttered.

"What happened?"

"I- I don't remember." Kate lied.

Shannon knew that this was a lie. All of those years of teaching made her able to tell very well. She decided not to push the matter just yet and let it go. Shannon continued to hold Kate as she cried into her shoulder. She whispered comforting words into Kate's hair and looked up at Jethro. Their eye's met and they both knew that this wasn't going to be easy.

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Authors Note: I'm so sorry this has taken so long to update! I've been so busy with testing and everything! But finally its over. I also wasn't sure if I got Tony's personality right. If anyone has any ideas please tell me! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS... tear tear...**

Kate slowly opened her eyes and saw she was still resting against Shannon, she was still sleeping and Kate didn't want to wake her. She looked at Shannon and thought back to her nightmare last night. Does she want me to stay here? Kate thought. She tried to push the thought out of her mind. She looked around the room and thought about how much they had given to her.

"Kate?" She heard Shannon say.

"Yeah?" Kate answered turning her head toward her.

"I was wondering if you were awake."

Kate sat up so she was no longer leaning against Shannon, and Shannon turned towards her.

"Do you want to tell me about the nightmare?" Shannon asked gently.

Kate looked away from her, and stared at the bed, "I don't remember it." She lied again.

She's not ready to talk about it yet, Shannon realized.

"Okay, but Kate if you do, remember that you can come talk to me." Shannon reminded her.

"I know, thank you. Umm…" Kate started.

"Yes?" Shannon prompted.

"I was wondering, I mean if it's okay with you, could I maybe go to the park?" Kate asked uncertainly.

"Of course!" Shannon answered, "Who are you going to be going with?"

"Tony."

"That will be great. Why don't you give me your cell phone number so I can reach you?"

Kate took out a piece of paper and wrote her number down, and then Shannon gave Kate her number. Shannon then left to go wake up Kelly.

_Do you wanna go to Blue Tree Park after breakfast? _Kate texted Tony.

_You woke me up! _Tony texted.

_Technically the phone woke you up._

_Still, I am awake much more earlier than I should be. _Kate could almost here Tony groaning. 

_Well what do you think? The park?_

_Sure. I'll meet you at Mrs. Gibbs'? _He responded a few minutes later.

_Sounds great __do you think you can manage to get here without getting lost?_

_Ha ha. I'll see you in an hour or so. _Tony answered.

Shannon and Jethro stood in the Kitchen, while Shannon was making scrambled eggs, and Kelly was playing in the living room.

"We need to get Kate to open up." Shannon confided in Jethro.

Kate set her phone down and headed down the stairs and heard Shannon and Mr. Gibbs talking.

"But we can't do this if she won't cooperate." Jethro answered.

"I know." Shannon answered.

"I don't know if it will work." Jethro said doubtfully.

"If it doesn't work out, we will try another way." Shannon decided.

Kate froze at the bottom of the stairs. Have I heard them right? She thought. She tried to convince herself for the second time that she was wrong. She tried to convince herself that they weren't talking about how they wished she wasn't there. She thought about going back upstairs but instead she just took a deep breath and composed herself before she finished the walk downstairs.

"Good morning Kelly," Kate greeted in an overly cheery voice.

"Morning Kate," Kelly smiled.

"What are you doing here?" Kate asked pointing at the blocks on the ground.

"I'm making a castle! Do you want to help?"

"Of course I do." Kate sat down next to her, and helped her assemble the blocks into a tower, only to have them come tumbling down.

"Breakfasts' ready!" Shannon called from the kitchen.

Kelly jumped up and ran over, but Kate took her time standing up. She walked in the dining room and took her seat next to Shannon.

Shannon noticed that Kate was being very quiet for breakfast. Kate seemed to be getting more distant the longer she was here.

"So have you talked to Tony yet?" Shannon asked trying to start a conversation.

"Yes." Kate answered.

"And?"

"We are going to go to the park when we are done eating."

"That's good." Shannon said, but the conversation died.

Even Kelly could sense that there was something off this morning. The rest of breakfast was mostly silence with a few attempts of a conversation. When they finished, Kate cleared her plate, grabbed her phone and sat on the front porch waiting for Tony.

When she saw Tony walking down the street she got up and met him.

"Hey Kate what's up?" Tony asked as she fell in step with him.

"I don't want to talk about it." She responded harshly.

"Okay." They continued to walk silently to the park. When they arrived they sat down on the swings.

"I'm sorry," Kate apologized, "I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you."

"It's okay. Sometimes when you are PMSing you tend to do that." Tony joked.

Kate gave him a glare that made him realize this wasn't the time for joking.

"What's up?" Tony asked seriously.

Kate's eyes welled up, "I don't think the Gibbs' want me to stay anymore."

"Why wouldn't they want you?" Tony asked bewildered.

"I overheard them talking before breakfast. I mean, I knew they wouldn't want me to stay there for that long, but I was just hoping my parents would be better by then."

"Kate, you must be wrong."

"I know what I heard." Kate snapped back.

"I'd offer you to come to my house, but… I don't think father would approve. Then again I don't think he's home this week, and I don't think Maria would care."

"Maria?" Kate questioned.

"She's a new maid. Father fired Charlotte."

A silence fell between the two of them, before Kate broke it, "What did you mean yesterday when you said you knew how I felt?" she asked.

"Oh, that was nothing."

"Tony, I know you the best out of probably anybody in the world. I know when something is wrong."

Tony stood up from the swings and started walking again. Kate quickly got up and followed after.

"Tony!" Kate ran up to him. "I told you something, now you owe me."

"I owe you?" Tony exclaimed, "I owe you because you felt like pouring your feelings out to me?"

"Excuse me?" Kate said shocked.

"What I said earlier meant nothing"

"Tony, come on. It's me."

"And it's nothing." Tony started walking again. "I need to go now." He headed out of the park.

Kate's heart sank as she watched him leave. She thought about going after him, but obviously he didn't want to talk to her. She jammed her hands in her pockets and started to walk. She didn't know where she was going, and frankly it didn't matter.

Kate didn't realize how late it had gotten, until it started to turn to dusk. She took out her cell phone and looked at it. It read 4 missed calls from Shannon Gibbs. Oh no, Kate thought. She put her phone back in her pocket and started jogging back. She walked into the house and was greeted by Shannon.

"Kate I called you 4 times!"

"I know and I'm sorry! I just didn't look at my cell phone and I didn't realize how late it was getting."

Shannon decided to accept this answer, even though she expected more from Kate, she was having a tough time.

"Well, how was your time with Tony?" Shannon asked.

"Good." Kate lied.

"Kate, come sit down." Shannon walked her to the couch where they both sat down, "how are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" Kate asked.

"Do you want to see your parents again?" Shannon asked gently.

Kate thought about it. "Umm…"

"Kate," Shannon put her arm around her, "It's perfectly okay no matter what you choose."

"I just, I don't know if I can handle it right now." Kate put her head in her hands.

"That's okay." Shannon nodded.

"I think I'm going to go to bed now, I'm pretty tired." Kate decided standing up.

"Good night Kate." Shannon said, "Remember, I am always here for you."

Kate nodded and headed up the stairs. She walked into the room which she had started referring to as her temporary bed room. She lay on her bed above the covers and stared at the ceiling. She closed her eyes and let a single tear fall. Even though there were three other people in this house she had never felt so alone.

**Thanks for reading! If you have any ideas please tell me! Please review :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Authors Note: I hope you enjoy this chapter! I was having a difficult time getting it to work out, so I hope it was worth it in the end. Thanks for all of the comments! And for all the questions about Kate opening up to the Gibbs' I guess you will just have to wait and see :)**

**Discaimer: Nope, still don't own NCIS**

Shannon dresses into her pajamas and got into bed next to Jethro. She rubbed her eyes and let out a sigh.

"Are you doing okay Shan?" Jethro asked her.

"I just, I don't see why Kate won't talk to me. I'm starting to get really worried about her. I've been her teacher for half a year, and she has changed so much." Shannon said worried.

"Well you can't expect her to be okay right away. After her parents have been in the accident and now she is in a weird environment away from home."

* * *

Kate slowly opened her eyes and yawned, her lips were dry. She reached over to get her water glass from the bedside table, and saw that it was empty. She looked over at the clock and it read 12:00. She slowly dragged her feet out of bed and quietly opened the door, not wanting to wake anybody up. She tiptoed through the hallway and heard voices coming out of the Gibbs's room. She was surprised that they were up at this hour, usually she would just keep walking but she happened to hear her name as she passed by.

"I know, but it can't keep going on with Kate." A soft voice said, most likely Shannon.

"I understand," a gruff voice, Mr. Gibbs, agreed.

"What are we going to do? Should we call someone? We can't handle this." Shannon said.

Kate tried to figure out what they were saying about her. Were they saying they couldn't handle her? Has she been too much of a hassle? But then she figured it out. They don't want me here. I was right all along. She should have known that this wouldn't last. She had just hoped her parents would be better by then. She felt her eyes well and she ran back into the room.

* * *

Jethro pulled Shannon into a hug, "Shannon, you are the nicest, most generous person in the world. And if anyone can handle this, it is you. I know that and I bet Kate knows that. Right now it's just hard for her and in time I think she will get better."

"What if I can't handle it? What if I didn't do enough?"

"Shannon, trust me. Things will get better."

* * *

What am I going to do, she asked herself. If they didn't want her here then she wasn't planning on staying. She grabbed her bag and pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a sweater, put them on and grabbed the cash she had. She also put her cell phone in her pocket. Within a few minutes she was out the front door and running down the street. She sprinted down the street not looking back. She had nowhere to go, the thought dawned on her. Yet she continued to run into the darkness and finally made it to a park. Her breath was short and she was sobbing. She collapsed into the cold grass. She looked up, but the stars were just blurs of light through her tears. Finally knowing that she had nowhere to go she took out her phone and dialed Abby's number.

"Hello?" A groggy voice answered.

"Abby!" Kate sobbed into the phone.

Abby was immediately wide awake and sitting up in bed, "What is it Kate, what's wrong?"

Kate tried to explain, but it all came out in a jumbled mess.

"Kate are you at Mrs. Gibbs's?"

"No."

"Where are you?"

"I'm at the blue tree park, I think."

Abby's eyes glistened with worry, "You stay there I'll be there in 5 minutes."

Abby hung up the phone and quickly scrawled a barely legible note for her parents. She didn't even bother changing into real clothes. She quickly pulled out her phone and called Tony, "Tony meet me at Blue Tree Park, Kate is there!"

"What?" Tony asked confused and tired.

"Meet me at the park. Kate needs us." Abby said, just a millisecond slower.

"Abs… I dunno, Kate and me…"

"I don't care; you are going to leave now." Abby hung up the phone and immediately started dialing Tim's number. It went to his voice mail.

"Tim, call me back right away. And you better have a good explanation for not answering your phone." Abby hung up, hopped on to her bike and rode as quickly as she could over to the park.

5 minutes later she arrived and saw a shadow in the grass.

"Kate?" She called.

She received a whimpered yes.

Abby dropped her bike and ran over to her, "What happened? Tell me!"

"They don't want me there! Where am I supposed to go! My parents are still in a coma!" Kate blurted out.

Abby plopped down next to Kate, her skull pajamas shinning in the moonlight, "Who doesn't want you?"

"The Gibbs'! I overheard them talking."

Abby pulled Kate into a huge hug, "Why wouldn't they want you?"

"I don't know." Kate hiccupped, "They probably got sick of me, or I got in the way."

"Kate if anyone wouldn't want you then they are a stupid ignorant fool."

Now Kate remembered why Abby was her best friend, and she hugged her back.

A few minutes later another shadow arrived at the edge of the park watching the sight. Tony wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, but eventually his love for his friend won over and he quickly walked over to the other forms.

"Tony!" Abby called.

"Abby, why is Tony here?" Kate whispered.

"I called him. Why?"

"You shouldn't have." Kate answered.

"Why not?" Abby asked, but got no answer in response.

Abby got up and walked over to Tony who was approaching them, "What happened Tony?"

"What do you mean Abs?"

"Don't give me any of that 'What do you mean Abs'! Why doesn't Kate want you here?" Abby asked angrily.

"She doesn't?"

"Yes. And now you need to tell me why."

"We got in a little fight yesterday." Tony admitted.

"Well you need to go over there and apologize right now!" Abby demanded.

"But-"

"No buts." Abby cut him off. "Kate needs all of us right now, so go."

Tony walked over to Kate who was sitting in the grass.

"Hey Kate. I'm really sorry about yesterday. I was really rude." Tony apologized.

"It's okay." Kate answered with her voice hitching.

"Now hug." Abby demanded from the sidelines.

Tony didn't even attempt to argue this time and just bent over and hugged Kate.

"Okay, now that you guys are friends again, we can get down to business. Kate tell us what happened." The three of them sat together in the cold grass until the sun rose over the trees.

* * *

Shannon's alarm went off and she got out of bed and put her slippers on. First she went to go wake up Kelly, because it would take her at least 10 minutes to actually get out of bed.

Once she got Kelly to open her eyes she went to go see if Kate was up yet. She knocked on the door first, but there was no response. She figured that Kate was still sleeping so she slipped her head in to wake her up. Except she wasn't in her bed. She must already be downstairs, Shannon thought. She walked down the stairs expecting to see Kate at the table or on the couch, but once again she wasn't there. She searched the whole upstairs and downstairs calling Kate's name. She was nowhere to be found.

"Jethro!" She yelled panicked. She heard a thud upstairs and Jethro came running down the stairs.

"What is it?" He asked sensing the fear in Shannon's voice.

"Kate's not here."

"Did you check-"

"Yes, I have checked everywhere! She is not in this house!"

Jethro sighed and they both ran upstairs back to Kate's room.

"Her phone isn't here so maybe she has it." Shannon observed hopefully.

"Try calling her," Jethro grunted.

Shannon called her but it rang strait to her voicemail. She left a message, "Kate? Where are you, please call me back!"

* * *

Kate pulled her phone out of her pocket because it was ringing, "It's Shannon." She told Abby.

"Are you going to answer?"

"No, they probably just want to make sure I'm not coming back." But secretly Kate hoped that she was wrong.

* * *

"Well there are no signs of forced entry." Jethro noted, "I would try calling the hospital and see if she is there. And then maybe call her friends."

"Jethro you call the hospital, I'll call Abby, she is Kate's best friend."

Jethro picked up his phone and started dialing, but Shannon had to go to her office and get her work binder. Inside it had the phone numbers for all her students. She then remembered that both of Abby's parents were deaf so she would have to call a different number. She looked in the binder and she remembered what she needed to do. First she dialed 711 and an operator came on. She then gave them the Sciuto's number. After they made it through she sent the Sciuto's a message,

"Hello, this is Shannon Gibbs, Abby's teacher. I was wondering if you have seen Kate Todd recently, because she is staying at my house, and we cannot find her. Thank you."

A few moment later she got a response, an operator read to her, "No, and Abby is not here either. We went into her room this morning and found a note that said she had to go help someone and would be back later. Also, it said not to worry.

Shannon's heart dropped when she realized that that someone was probably Kate. But why would she need help? Why would she leave and not tell them, and why wouldn't she tell them what her problem is!

"Ok, we are going to go look for them; I will call you if we find anything." Mrs. Gibbs said back to the operator.

"She's not at the hospital," Jethro told her walking into the office, "But I told them to notify me if she arrives."

"She is somewhere with Abby. Abby left a note saying she was going to go help someone." Shannon told him.

"Well I guess we better go get looking. I'll get the car ready, you go get Kelly." Jethro said.

A few minutes later all three of them were in the car driving down the streets. All Shannon could think about was finding Kate and making sure she is safe.

**A/N: Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it! Please comment if you can!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey all! Thanks for all of the reviews I really appreciated them! Sorry that this chapter is a little shorter. The last chapter and this one were originally together, but it got long so I decided to split it up.**

**Disclaimer: Despite all of your beliefs, I actually don't own NCIS**

"So, now what?" Kate looked at Abby and Tony. The birds were chirping in the blue sky like they had a right to be happy.

"We could go back to my house." Abby suggested.

"Are your parents going to be mad at you for leaving?" Kate asked.

"Good point, let's not go to my house."

Abby, Tony and Kate sat in silence for a few more minutes until Kate spoke again, "Do you want to go to the hospital?"

"Sure." Abby responded.

Abby left her bike at the park and the three of them caught a bus with the money Kate had. They arrived to the hospital and went directly to Kate's parent's room.

"You don't have to come in." Kate told Abby and Tony seriously.

Abby shook her head, "No, you don't have to do this alone."

They walked in together and sat down in the chairs.

"Do you think they can hear me?" Kate asked Abby.

"I don't know. But it can't hurt."

* * *

Nurse Ann, the head nurse on duty, walked down the hall and just happened to see two girls and a boy in the Todd's room. They all had messy grass filled hair, and one was in skull pajamas. She then remembered the phone call from earlier and immediately called him back.

"Mr. Gibbs?"

"Yes?" A gruff voice answered

"This is Nurse Ann, I'm pretty sure I see Kate here with two other people."

"Make sure they don't leave," Gibbs ordered slamming on the engine.

* * *

"Where do you think I'm going to go now?" Kate asked them.

"You can always come to my house, you know that." Abby answered.

"I know," Kate nodded.

Abby grabbed Kate's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

* * *

Shannon ran out of the car as soon as it parked and into the hospital. One of the nurses nodded to her as a sign that the kids were still there. She looked through the window and saw Kate and Abby sitting in the chairs holding hands, and Tony sitting next to them. She opened the door and walked in. It was actually quite a sight seeing the three of them there. All three of them had grass covered hair. Abby was still in her pajamas and wasn't wearing any makeup, which was quite unusual. Tony and Kate were both wearing oversized sweatpants and sweatshirts.

The three of them looked up at her, and Tony gave her a sharp glare.

"Kate what were you thinking! How could you just leave and not tell us! You could've gotten hurt." Shannon demanded.

"And that would be all the better for you, huh? Wouldn't it just be better if I never came back?" Kate got out of her seat and shouted at her; suddenly she was filled with so much anger.

Mr. Gibbs walked quickly into the hallway holding Kelly. He looked into the room and figured it was better to stay out here.

"What are you talking about?" Shannon cried in disbelief, "Tony and Abby, please let us talk alone."

Tony reluctantly stood up and Abby was hesitant about leaving. Finally, Tony gave Shannon one last glare and left the room. They walked into the hallway where Mr. Gibbs was standing.

"Why don't you guys go home? Your parents are worried." Mr. Gibbs suggested as they entered the hallway.

"I'm not leaving Kate here with you." Tony spit back.

"Go, now." Mr. Gibbs demanded this time, "Kate will call you later."

"Come on Tony," Abby whispered, grabbing his arm.

"You're just going to leave her?" Tony asked.

"We are not going to be able to do anything now; we will talk to her later." Abby assured him. Reluctantly they both left the hospital.

"I heard you guys last night, and all the other times!" Kate shouted accusingly, "I'm so sorry I interrupted your perfect life!" She mocked, "You didn't have to take me! But no! You had to make me think I had some where to belong and snatch it away from me!"

"No, of course we want you to stay with us!"

"Sure you do!" Kate shouted sarcastically.

"Why else would I have offered?" Shannon tried to calm the atmosphere.

"Maybe you just didn't think it would be for this long."

"Kate you misunderstood what you heard last night."

"What did you say then?"

"I was just talking to Jethro. I wished you would talk to me and tell me what is going on."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're hurting and you won't open up."

All the anger suddenly left Kate and she lifelessly dropped back onto the chair. The silence blared almost unbearably. Kate had totally misread what was going on and now she was embarrassed of how she had acted. Mrs. Gibbs was doing so much for her and she just yelled right at her, and accused her of many things.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Gibbs." Kate whispered.

Shannon came and sat in the chair that was once occupied by Abby, "Don't apologize Kate. And remember, it's Shannon."

"I'm so sorry Shannon, this is entirely my fault. You have been treating me so well and I just… oh man, I'm so, so sorry."

"Hey, what did I say about apologizing. I can't even imagine what you are going through, and I just want to be able to help." She said glancing and Kate's parents.

"I just want them to be okay." Kate said on the verge of whining.

"I know you do. I do too. But until then, we want you to stay with us."

"I want that too." Kate agreed.

"But you need to promise me one thing."

"What's that?" Kate asked, looking up at Shannon.

"You need to promise you will talk to me, and tell me what's going on, because Kate, I really want to help."

"I promise." Kate answered, but different then other times; she actually meant what she said.

**A/N: Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed! Be sure to comment if you can :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Oh man guys I am so sorry it has taken so long for me to update! I was having some major writers block so this chapter is more of a transition one. Don't worry the next one will be better! If any of you have any ideas or suggestions please comment with them or send me a message! They are much appreciated :D**

**I do not own NCIS**

When Abby and Tony walked out of the hospital she started texting furiously on her cell phone to Kate,

_Kate, are you okay! Call me as soon as you can! I love you :) _

Abby and Tony got out of the parking lot and were walking down the street when her phone rang. A techno theme arose around them.

"Yes." She answered distracted.

"Abby?" Tim asked, not used to hearing such a short answer from her such as yes.

"Timothy McGee! Where were you! Why didn't you answer when I called?" Abby yelled at him.

"Let me point out that you called at one in the morning."

"That is no excuse!" Abby yelled again.

"My parents took my phone away because I was on the computer too late last night." Tim tried to explain.

"Well you better get your butt over here right now!" Abby demanded.

"Where are you?" Tim asked.

Abby had to think about that. She wasn't ready to go home and get lectured by her parents and Tony didn't want to go to his house.

"Blue Tree Park." She decided to say and hung up the phone.

"We are going to Blue Tree Park Tony. Tim is meeting us there." Abby told him. She proceeded to march quickly in that direction. A few minutes later they arrived at the park just as Tim was. They met at the park and Tony whispered under his breath, "You're in for it."

"Wha-" Tim was about to ask, but Abby cut him off.

"TIMOTHY McGEE! How could you!" She demanded.

"How could I what?" He asked confused and slightly intimidated. Okay, a little more than slightly.

"You did not answer your phone."

"What was so important that you had to call me at one in the morning?" Tim asked not catching the warning look from Tony.

"Kate needed _our _help and you weren't there." She spit at him.

"Wait, what? Why did she need our help that early?"

"You would know if you had come."

"What happened? Is she okay?" Tim asked worried.

Abby sighed and forgot about her anger towards him long enough to fill him in on the long night.

* * *

On the drive back from the hospital Kate and Kelly were both contently sleeping in the back seat of the car. Shannon looked in the mirror and smiled at the two sleeping figures.

"You did good Shan." Jethro quietly told her.

"_We_ did good Jethro." Shannon smiled.

The car pulled into the driveway and Shannon and Jethro got out of the car. Jethro went and carried the sleeping Kelly into the house. Shannon opened Kate's door and gently woke her up.

"Ugh…" Kate slowly opened her eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Shannon asked.

"Remind me never to sleep in the back of a car again." Kate said rolling her neck to work out the kinks.

"Come on, let's go inside." Shannon offered her hand to Kate, "I bet you could do with some real sleep."

Kate took Shannon's hand and got out of the car. Together they walked into the house.

"Why don't you go take a nap while I make us some food?" Shannon offered.

"Sounds good," Kate answered and slowly walked up the stairs to her temporary room. She looked down seeing the sweatpants she was wearing and decided to just keep them on. She got in to bed sure she would fall asleep in moments. She closed her eyes but suddenly all she could see were her parents again. They invaded the back of her eyelids. Kate rolled over and tried to think about something else, but the second she closed her eyes the images of the machines and tubes came back.

* * *

Shannon walked into the kitchen where Jethro was standing and saw that Kelly was sleeping on the couch.

"What do you want for lunch, hon?" Shannon asked Jethro.

"It's okay Shan, I've got lunch covered. You go and relax."

"Now I remember why I married you." Shannon smiled at gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Now go!" Jethro said ushering her out of the kitchen. Shannon walked upstairs about to go into her bedroom, but then decided to check in on Kate. She opened the door quietly since Kate would be sleeping. Except she looked in and Kate was sitting up in bed wide eyed.

"Couldn't sleep?" Shannon asked.

Kate jumped as if she hadn't seen Shannon was in the room. "No."

Shannon walked over to her bed, "What's wrong?"

"Nothi-" Kate cut herself off mid- word. She had promised to talk to Shannon. Kate sighed, "Every time I close my eyes I see my parents. I see them dying."

"Is that what you're afraid? That they will die?" Shannon asked gently.

Kate just nodded.

"I feel myself wanting to forget them. I know I shouldn't, but it is just too hard sometimes."

Shannon drew her into a big hug, "You don't know how much I wish I could promise you everything would be okay. I just don't know what's going to happen."

"It wouldn't be so bad if I could talk to them, if I knew what was going to happen. Who knows how long they could be in a coma." Kate struggled to talk, "I feel so… out of control."

"Kate everything that you are feeling is normal."

The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes until Kate looked up at Shannon and realized that she felt at home. She hated that she was feeling that. She was getting too used to being here which meant she didn't have enough faith that her parents would get better. I just have to believe they will get better, she told herself. Maybe it will help if I just get back into my normal schedule. After much debate in her head she decided to ask, "Can I go to school tomorrow?"

Shannon seemed to think a great deal about the question before she answered it. "If that's what you want." She said slowly, "I have already informed your other teachers on why you have missed class, so they should be able to help you with what you missed. And in English all you have missed are more speeches."

"Okay," Kate nodded.

"Are you sure you want to go? You could wait a few days. It might be easier."

"It's not going to get easier." Kate answered, "I think I should start getting back into my schedule."

"Okay. But, if during the school day at all you want to leave, just come find me."

Kate nodded again.

"Promise me that." Shannon demanded.

"I promise." Kate answered.

"Now, try to get some sleep again," Shannon encouraged, "I'll wake you up for lunch." And then she left the room.

Kate lay back down and stared at the ceiling. She reluctantly closed her eyes, but she was not met with images of her parents dying. Instead she drifted off to sleep and dreamed of life before her parents had gotten hurt. She dreamed of family vacations, going to the spa with her mom, and going camping with her dad. She dreamed of them getting better. As Kate peacefully slept a soft smile appeared on her face. The first one in days.

**Thanks for reading! Please comment! :)**


End file.
